Professors of Walking
I am a big fan of walking, although I don't do much of it in my real life. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that he and his daughter Ellen were "professors of walking," and I have this romantic vision of myself sauntering all over my parish by foot and making pastoral visits with a walking cane in hand, but who am I kidding? I drive everywhere.
I drive everywhere because when I try to walk anywhere, I invariably wind up making a spastic leap into the nearest ditch when aggressive drivers get too close. Which they always do.
That said, Hafhida Sofia commented recently (in the post about Crocs, those fugly new additions to the Comfortable Shoe Market) that she used to walk 4-5 miles a day to work and now she doesn't, because she can't find appropriate shoes that will work for both the walk and for the workday.
We can't have this!
Hafhida, my dove, take a look at this page and see if anything excites you:
http://www.onlineshoes.com/synopsispage.asp?type=style&styleid=2&stylecatid=361&gen=w
Granted, most of the offerings are a bit on the frumpy side, but those Keen Mary Janes could be very cute on you, and there are some clogs that might work as well. They have support, they're cute ENOUGH, and you can wear them with skirts.
PeaceBang would like to say that although she is a deep and abiding believer in the power of Cute Shoes, she is an even more deeply abiding believer in the power of good health, which walking does promote even more than Cute Shoes.
That is, unless you have to scramble for the nearest ditch every thirty seconds as some caffeine-poisoned suburbanite screams by in her SUV.
I drive everywhere because when I try to walk anywhere, I invariably wind up making a spastic leap into the nearest ditch when aggressive drivers get too close. Which they always do.
That said, Hafhida Sofia commented recently (in the post about Crocs, those fugly new additions to the Comfortable Shoe Market) that she used to walk 4-5 miles a day to work and now she doesn't, because she can't find appropriate shoes that will work for both the walk and for the workday.
We can't have this!
Hafhida, my dove, take a look at this page and see if anything excites you:
http://www.onlineshoes.com/synopsispage.asp?type=style&styleid=2&stylecatid=361&gen=w
Granted, most of the offerings are a bit on the frumpy side, but those Keen Mary Janes could be very cute on you, and there are some clogs that might work as well. They have support, they're cute ENOUGH, and you can wear them with skirts.
PeaceBang would like to say that although she is a deep and abiding believer in the power of Cute Shoes, she is an even more deeply abiding believer in the power of good health, which walking does promote even more than Cute Shoes.
That is, unless you have to scramble for the nearest ditch every thirty seconds as some caffeine-poisoned suburbanite screams by in her SUV.
posted by PeaceBang at 2:53 PM
12 Comments:
Dear PeaceBang and friends,
First I'd like to say that the Gnostic side of the Femmi-Religio-Sphere loves PeaceBang and Beauty Tips very much.
Just for fun, the girls on the Gnostic team are playing around with the images available to us too - although there are VERY few women in Gn. leadership now (this will change soon) so we're under less pressure to look, um, authoritative.
We're at the Kick Up Heels stage. And I'm cultivating the notion that the next Gnostic church where women lead (alongside our very wonderful bros) will feature a "shoe bag" allowing lay people and ministers alike to bring dancing shoes to service.
Since I'm advocating for as much Tango as Gospel of Thomas et al, I suggest that the gnostically curious treat herself to a pair of these:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64795106@N00/179220161/
Then come and dance with us. We have very few rules. But there are NO jack boots allowed. All versions of femininity are encouraged but rudeness and flaming one's hostess is a no no.
Dear PeaceBang - hell of a few days you've had!!!! We send our warm fuzzies.
And may I say that the Lord is still my idea of a beautiful word and concept. Lord! Let us dance... In red shoes.
xx
Juliana
San Francisco
Whatever happened to the good old days when the Pastor of a First Parish church could put those witches (driving their SUVs on their devil's brew) in the stocks in front of the meeting house?
I think that the town charter might reveal hidden powers to your office, and if not. . . . they ought to install speed bumps.
CK, those Doc M's are BADASS. But they weigh about ten pounds each, don't they?
And of course, we'd have to be aware that we were broadcasting a slight 1980's trust-fund-hippie-LUG vibe by wearing them.
Hi Juliana! Welcome to you and your Gnostic babe pals!
But I'm confused -- aren't the Gnostics generally of the opinion that it's not that much fun to have a body in the first place, let alone to dress it up in cute shoes and clothes and put lipstick on it?
Hope you'll write again. xoxo PB
disclaimer: i am not a minister. i just love your blog. :)
although there was truly no shoe ever made that was more comfortable than the original doc marten sandal, before they stopped making them in england and started making them in china, where unfortunately the soles (which cannot be replaced, as other shoes' soles generally can) just don't hold up the way the old english ones did :( i'd have to say that they don't qualify as cute.
i do, however, *adore* a mary-jane, and being a frequent walker, i'm forever on the lookout for a comfortable shoe of any style i can wear at work. my current favorites: sofft's venice, available at zappos (free shipping both ways, fabulous service) for $77.95. seriously comfortable, soft sole, and way cute. i walk 3-4 miles each way on hilly streets on my commute and these are great! http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/7704058/c/3.html in black, http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/7704058/c/200.html in bronze, or http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/7704058/c/1897.html in berry.
Ooh, a post with my name in it! Wowzers! Good suggestions, all. I am definitely inspired to get walking - today!
Don't they have sidewalks in your town, Peacebang? I am so irritated about towns without sidewalks! Grr.
Hi PeaceBang. Thanks for the welcome.
Oh dear, yes I see we have muuuuuuch work to do with the Women of UU. Well everyone actually as the historic descriptions of the gnostic movement(s) tend towards the classically "seek beyond the here and now for the Divine" bent.
For the record, nearly all of today's gnostic churches - be they virtual or three dimensional - are going to some lengths to celebrate the "Divine Feminine" and espousing a "Look for the Divine amidst the rubble" philosophy.
There are oversimplifications, sure. But it's where the Gn. movement is headed now. The leadership is heavily male, but it's aggressively seeking women to lead and read and participate.
Most of the heavyweight thinkers on Team Gnosis are big time into the Mary Magdalene metaphor (I say metaphor because she is not the historical figure whose reputation is hilariously commercialized in the infamous DVC movie). The reading list for the AJC for example is heavy on Nag Hammadi as well as eastern thought. These are SERIOUS brains. And they are seriously open to being "jostled" and influenced by strong women.
To sum up: The principal focus of all these folks is to KNOW, QUESTION REALITY and SEEK THE DIVINE AMIDST THE MIRAGE (because it IS here!)
The most compelling leaders in the movement right now, to my mind, are:
Jordan Stratford+, (AJC)
www.egina2.blogspot.com
&
+Rosamonde of the EGM in Palo Alto
www.gnosticsanctuary.com
To educate oneself about Gnostic leadership, study and practice (praxis - roughly dharma and they'll kick me for another oversimplifiication), read and communicate with Jordan. He is the mouthpiece for the movement. Not his official duty, just his natural skillset.
Oh and please, UU ladies, come and kick our butts. Inspire us. Jostle us. We want dialogue!!!
Peace
Juliana
Those are nice shoes, if one has to walk a block or two, or for GA type days with lots of standing around and slow walking, but for doing one's ministry on foot, well, I wouldn't. Only real walking shoes will do if you are putting in the miles. Carry your cute little shoes and change if you want to still be walking as an old lady. Taking care of your feet is a matter of good health, too.
Those Sofft shoes recommended by LisaBe are very cute, indeed. My concern is that I am disappointed constantly by seeing something attractive and then finding that my feet don't like them. I can go through entire stores, discount and retail, without finding something that fits. Ordering something online seems beyond hope. Any thoughts?
Can I just say that while I know buying good shoes is important for one's feet, almost all of the wearable ones on that page are over $100?! That seems a bit ridiculous to me.
For comfort I love the Naot Sandles. They have one model called the "Oh My God!" style, since that is what people say when they put it on their feet. My personal faves have velcro straps. I confess, I love the velcro model so I can loosen them when I wear them with wool socks in the winter. Only at home! My alternative to slippery slippers.
So what solutions can PeaceBang offer to the Mystery of the Purse? Is there a good way to carry a purse and a briefcase alternative?
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